Chances are that where you are sitting right now is a familiar place. Take a look around. Now look a little closer. Even closer.

What do you see that you’ve never seen before? Very often a

• creative idea
• solution
• new way of doing something
• fresh meaning

…is there right in front of you.

Andrew Wyeth, the artist who never painted anything outside of his own home and family summerhouse, said:

Most artists look for something fresh to paint; frankly I find that quite boring. For me it is much more exciting to find fresh meaning in something familiar.

On what project are you working right now? Does it need new life, creative meaning, a fresh look? What would happen if you took a closer look and found “fresh meaning in something familiar”?

How about asking yourself these questions:

• What if I changed the color of the thing at which I’m looking?
• How does it work?
• If I changed something about this familiar item, what would it be?
• Why has it always been done this way?
• What if we did it only slightly differently?
• What solution is staring me right in the face?

Instead of looking for something fresh in the unfamiliar, how about looking at the things right in front of you. It may be a surprising boost to your work and creativity.

What question would you ask to bring a fresh perspective to something familiar?